Uber Drivers in Cancún Accuse National Guard of Continued Harassment Despite Order

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Uber drivers in Cancún have accused the National Guard of continuing to harass them and abuse its authority, despite an existing order prohibiting such practices, according to a spokesperson for the drivers.

Águeda Esperilla Soto, the spokesperson, said there is a specific directive for the National Guard to stop bothering drivers, but officers disregard it. “They ignore the order and don’t respect it. It doesn’t happen every day, that’s true, but it still occurs,” she commented.

Esperilla Soto reported witnessing an incident yesterday where National Guard officers stopped a driver under the airport bridge and made two tourists get out of the vehicle. “I was leaving the airport and under the bridge, the National Guard had a private vehicle stopped. I came to drop off some people, and when I entered the airport, I saw they already had it there. In the video, you can see two girls, who they possibly made get out and walk away,” she detailed.

She alleged that National Guard personnel coordinate with “pirate” taxis that still operate at Cancún International Airport. As evidence, she pointed to the recorded detention. “When the National Guard goes all the way to the bridge to stop a car, it’s because the pirate taxis already alerted them that the vehicle is providing service, and that’s why they run out and catch you there. That’s why there’s no other explanation—the National Guard detains you when they weren’t even stationed there, and they didn’t catch you in the act. That’s proof they continue working in coordination with the pirates; they’re the ones who tell them,” she said.

Additionally, Esperilla Soto claimed that even when the National Guard stops harassing ride-hailing drivers, pirate taxi drivers engage in similar practices against tourists at the airport terminals.